Whether you believe in the teachings of Mindfulness or not, you will have heard of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Zen master, poet, and teacher. He first came to the world’s attention in the 1960s during the war in his native Vietnam, as he forsook monastic isolation to care for the victims of that war and to work for reconciliation among all the warring parties. In the West, Thich Nhat Hanh is sometimes called the father of mindfulness and his books, teachings, and sayings have been widely popular in the West. Followed by presidents, diplomats, top executives, and celebrities, Thich Nhat Hanh has made the practices of mindfulness accessible to everyone, from almost any level of society. 

Thich Nhat Hanh taught that you don’t have to spend years on a mountaintop to benefit from Buddhist wisdom. Instead, he says, just become aware of your breath, and through that come into the present moment, where everyday activities can take on a joyful, miraculous quality. If you are mindful, or fully present in the here and now, anxiety disappears and a sense of timelessness takes hold, allowing your highest qualities, such as kindness and compassion, to emerge.

In this book The Miracle of Mindfulness, he beautifully explains how to acquire the skills of mindfulness. Once we have these skills, we can slow our lives down and discover how to live in the moment – even simple acts like washing the dishes or drinking a cup of tea may be transformed into acts of meditation.

He settled in exile in France and there he founded Plum Village, a Buddhist community, or Sangha, that has spawned communities of practice and service around the world. Other books among his many beloved include Being Peace and No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering

He passed away on January 22, 2022 in Vietnam, aged 95.